SLOKA OF THE DAY:

Bhagavad Gita As It Is -
Chapter 10 Text 4-5
buddhir jnanam asammohah
ksama satyam damah samah
sukham duhkham bhavo 'bhavo
bhayam cabhayam eva ca

ahimsa samata tustis
tapo danam yaso 'yasah
bhavanti bhava bhutanam
matta eva prthag-vidhah

buddhih--intelligence; jnanam--knowledge; asammohah--freedom from doubt; ksama--forgiveness; satyam--truthfulness; damah--control of the senses; samah--control of the mind; sukham--happiness; duhkham--distress; bhavah--birth; abhavah--death; bhayam--fear; ca--also; abhayam--fearlessness; eva--also; ca--and; ahimsa--nonviolence; samata--equilibrium; tustih--satisfaction; tapah--penance; danam--charity; yasah--fame; ayasah--infamy; bhavanti--come about; bhavah--natures; bhutanam--of living entities; mattah--from Me; eva--certainly; prthak-vidhah--variously arranged.

TRANSLATION

Intelligence, knowledge, freedom from doubt and delusion, forgiveness, truthfulness, control of the senses, control of the mind, happiness and distress, birth, death, fear, fearlessness, nonviolence, equanimity, satisfaction, austerity, charity, fame and infamy--all these various qualities of living beings are created by Me alone.

JOURNAL:

Srila Prabhupada starts his lengthy purport on this sloka by writing: Ordinary knowledge obtained by a university education pertains only to matter, and it is not accepted here as knowledge. Knowledge means knowing the distinction between spirit and matter. In modern education there is no knowledge about spirit; they are simply taking care of the material elements and bodily needs. Therefore academic knowledge is not complete.

This is a timely statement. I read this just after taking my finals at school and it got me thinking about what I had been learning and how I can use my education for propagating the Lord's message to us.

Srila Prabhupada then goes on to explain the above list of qualities. If you have not read this purport I highly recommend it. It is too long to go into here so, if you don't own a copy of "Bhagavad Gita As It Is", please click on this link and take the time to read his words.
http://vedabase.net/bg/10/4-5/en

He ends by writing: All these qualities are manifest throughout the universe in human society and in the society of the demigods. There are many forms of humanity on other planets, and these qualities are there. Now, for one who wants to advance in Krsna consciousness, Krsna creates all these qualities, but the person develops them himself from within. Here is God's gift to us. Like receiving a musical instrument, the giver cannot develop your talent for playing it. You have to practice yourself if you want to make music.